


mountaintop warmth

by miraculous_stardust



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pre-Calamity (Legend of Zelda), aoc compliant I guess? but i don't make references to its plot, me upon seeing the hot springs: well isnt this a good setting for a fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27823336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculous_stardust/pseuds/miraculous_stardust
Summary: A vignette of coming to an understanding. Sometimes it takes conflict to break past a facade.
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 91





	mountaintop warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Written for HanHan for the BOTW Writers & Such exchange! I'd never written revalink before but was excited to try my hand at it. Hope you enjoy! It was a lot of fun to write!
> 
> (Note that I haven’t finished Age of Calamity at the time of writing this...)

Revali sighed, storing his bow as he looked down at where the blood of the lizalfos stained the snow. Link stood beside him, more focused on the cleanliness of the sword in his hands. His dispassionate expression was unchanged—had barely changed during the fight, really—but the heavier rise and fall of his chest and the way his hot breath curled in front of his face belied that he had exerted himself, if only a little. 

“Ganon’s forces seem to be crawling out of the woodwork,” Revali remarked, “but at least they’re a pittance to eliminate.” Link didn’t so much as shrug as they watched the Malice leave the monster and it vanished, its connection to the word apparently gone. “But what of our previous discussion? You didn’t give me an answer. Surely you must have some response.”

But Link just stayed silent. Dispassionate. 

Revali scoffed. “Very well, then. I’m going to get this stink off of me. You may want to do the same.” With that, he took to the air. He felt Link’s eyes on him as he departed—watching, always watching. His thoughts spiraled in circles like birds on an updraft. The cold wind stung his eyes as he pushed against the air, powerful downward strokes as if shucking off his anger. 

Revali muttered to himself as he felt the wind flow around his wings, brushing against his feathers and carrying him to where he could relax in peace. He ascended Hebra to where he saw steam curling off water. The secluded area was silent apart from the far-off cries of wolves and soft crunching of the snow under a moose’s hoof that he could just barely make out. Looking above to where birds flew, undisturbed by his passage, Revali methodically removed his armor and slipped into the inviting water. It was second nature to fluff his feathers and allow the water in between them, the relaxing weight and warmth of the hot spring permitting him to rest his head back and his muscles to unclench. The warm water carried away the grit of the fight and memory of Link’s empty expression. 

Until the crunching of snow boots interrupted him. 

He sat up, opening his eyes and turning. “Who’s there?”

But the mountain held no answer. Until a familiar blonde head peeked over from where Link was ascending the path to the springs. 

“What are you doing here?” Revali sneered, almost automatically. Link just pursed his lips and looked at him, before raising his hands to sign. 

“What, I can’t relax here too?” 

Revali couldn’t help but glare, yet made a sweeping gesture towards the rocky rim of the spring. “Be my guest, then.”

With jerky, halting movements Link peeled away the armor that would need to be cleaned until he was in a pair of blue shorts to swim in. He slipped in the pool, tips of his golden hair laying on the water’s surface as he sunk down into it, spreading out to frame his face and his blue eyes that sparked with the water’s reflection. 

Revali had to tear his gaze away. 

Together they sat for a few heavy moments, with just the gentle lapping of water and call of birds and the warmth of the water filling up the space between them. 

Link raised his hands to sign once more, half obscured by the steaming water. It curled around his fingers and ghosted over his palm, but Revali still managed to catch his words. 

“You know why.”

At that, Revali turned to face him head-on. “Oh, now you want to discuss it? Couldn’t bring yourself to before the fight?” 

Link just turned his own glare back at him. (Oh, his eyes are so far from empty.) “Don’t play dumb. And it’s not like I could control whether we got distracted from you berating me. But either way, you know why I do it. You can guess the reason I have to be like this.”

Revali’s feathers puffed up without his permission. “No, actually, you’ll find that I don’t!” He snapped. “I cannot fathom why you’d be under the delusion that you don’t have to act as a person.”

“Oh, bullshit!” Link snapped right back. “Just because you’ve never dealt with life at the castle or the expectation of an entire continent doesn’t mean you can’t imagine what it’s like for five seconds. Or maybe you have less empathy than I thought.”

“The opinion of your angry, bullheaded king and all the maggoty little gossiping court don’t have any impact on your performance against the Calamity! You have the sacred blade, however much that’s worth, why would you beg at their feet for scraps they obviously aren’t willing to give?”

Link stared at him for a second, gaping, and for a moment Revali was hyperaware of how his words hung in the air and the burn of almost shouting in his throat. And then Link was gasping and wheezing, an unfamiliar sound echoing off the rock. It took Revali a moment to realize he was hearing Link’s laughter. All of a sudden the sound— as unfamiliar and obviously unused as it was— grew all the sweeter. A minute later he was clutching at his middle like it hurt and wiping tears from his eyes, but had quieted down. 

“Goddesses, I’ve never heard anyone say that about Rhoam—people don’t let go around me now, yknow?—but we all think it. With varying levels of anger, but still—hilarious. And maggoty!” Just signing it set him off again. “It’s true!” He kept signing it, almost to himself, _true true true_ , chuckling all the while. 

The anger that had gotten Revali’s blood pumping had been wiped away in a single moment. With Link’s laughter ringing in his ears—his agreement—a new question burned on his tongue. 

“So why?” he asked. He said it simply. “If you know, why bother?”

Link heaved a breath, closed his eyes. “It may be pointless, but it’s still easier. And after all this is done... then things will be different. For the Princess and for me.” 

“You’re really so confident about it?” Revali asked. 

Link shrugged. “I’ve been training for it most of my life. Though Zelda hasn’t gotten her power yet, it’s come to all of her ancestors that needed it. And all this Sheikah tech...”

Revali raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t the story not so simple for the Hero of Time?” 

Link glanced at him. “Didn’t know you knew so much detail about our history.”

Revali pinned him with a look, and Link winced a bit before acknowledging it and answering the question. “Some sources say it wasn’t. But we all have regrets in this. I can’t... make the sword un-choose me.” 

“Would you?” Revali asked. 

Link turned away, silent for a long moment. “Don’t ask me that. Please.”

Revali sighed. “I understand... my apologies.”

Link nodded, but remained turned away for another few seconds. Revali just watched the ripples on the water as it moved with their breaths, wispy and fleeting in the cold mountain air. 

Link turned back to Revali, a small grin on his face. “But we’ll be fine,” he signed. “Greatest warrior of all the Rito, right?” 

Something lurking in his eyes found itself reflected in a heavy uncertainty deep in Revali’s bones, but by now they knew the dance. With a scoff and a declaration of “Oh, without a doubt!” he brandished a wing, using the other to draw Link closer to him, his warmth even hotter than the waters.

**Author's Note:**

> some assorted thoughts...  
> I kinda imagine that on some level, Link had to tell himself it would be okay and that their plan would work. but then, ofc...
> 
> and while rhoam may not actually be like that a) it’s Revali speaking from his own perspective? can I get away with saying that? and b) I personally am v angry with him for how he treated Zelda so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ whoops
> 
> hope you enjoyed! would love your thoughts, and have a good day!


End file.
